The LINK EDU-RES project was initiated by the former YERUN working group on joint programmes. Following the publication of guidelines on joint bachelor and master programmes, the group decided to center attention on the internationalisation of doctoral education and the establishment of collaborative and interactive frameworks for its operation. This led to the project Link EDU-RES (Joint programmes at Doctorate Level in a European university network: Linking Education and Research towards the European Education Network), an Erasmus+ Key Action 2 project (“Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices”), funded by the European Commission (KA203-060318).
The project’s main objective is to lay ground for the creation of joint programmes at doctorate level in a European network of research universities. The University of Antwerp coordinates the project, and the consortium is composed by University of Bremen, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, University of Essex, Maastricht University andUniversity of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’.
In this project, partners strive to meet seven objectives:
1. examine and compare the requirements and regulations for doctoral programmes in different European countries (the 12 home countries of the 18 members of YERUN). This allows to reveal areas in which a certain degree of harmonisation is possible and identify good practices in successful collaboration across borders.
2. identify the different possible types of collaboration at doctorate level based on the collaborations that YERUN universities are currently engaged in (as a representative sample of young research universities in Europe).
3. design guidelines and tools for the development and running of joint programmes at doctorate level, which can be used by any European university.
4. integrate research and education by creating consortia of universities and organisations around key research topics that the participating universities have identified as thematic areas in which cooperation is crucial (e.g. Migration, Health and Ageing and Digital Humanities). In particular, several research seminars around these topics will be organised in order to promote mobility and exchange of researchers and doctoral candidates.
5. contribute to the training of early career researchers in transferable skills (e.g. communication skills, career management, organisation leadership and project management, and intercultural competences). Therefore, we will organise a summer school with a thematic focus on key issues and global challenges in European society (in particular: social inclusion, open education, technology and digital learning, and open science).
6. by means of staff weeks and multiplier events, contribute to the debate on innovation in doctoral training. During these staff weeks and multiplier events experiences and project results are shared among members of the network and at the European level.
Finally, the project’s aim is to contribute to the creation of the European Education Area by strengthening cooperation within the YERUN network in the areas of research and education, paving the way towards the creation of truly European universities that can cooperate seamlessly across borders.
For more information, please visit: www.jointphdprogrammes.com
